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Paris Boys And Girls Club Celebrates 50 Years

Paris Boys And Girls Club Celebrates 50 Years

PHOTO COURTESY OF DR. BILLY HIGGINS / A photo from the 1960s shows the early 1950s model Chevy Suburban that was used by the Boys & Girls Club of Paris. Known as the “Blue Goose,” the vehicle served as a way to transport BGCP members to baseball games and other youth-related activities throughout the region. A similar vehicle will be seen during the club’s 50th Anniversary Celebration, which will be held from 1-8 p.m. June 7 in Paris.

Paris Boys And Girls Club Celebrates 50 Years

PHOTO COURTESY OF STEVE BROWN / Cheri Garcez, from left, Bently Allen, Billy Higgins and John Featherston admire the recently restored Chevy Suburban that will be among the features in the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Paris Boys & Girls Club, which begins at 1 p.m. June 7 in Paris. The 1952 model vehicle is similar to the club’s original vehicle, which was used to transport club members to baseball games and other events throughout the region. Featherston restored the vehicle.

The all-ages event will be 1-8 p.m. June 7 at the club, 717 N. Fifth St.; the Paris Middle School Auditorium, 602 N. 10th St.; and at Veterans Park on North 10th Street, all in Paris, and will include live music, a cookout, baseball games, a Daisy BB Gun Range, an antique car show, a Beatles tribute concert, a children’s “jumping house” area and more, said Steve Brown, a former club member and current member of the new BGCP Alumni & Friends group.

“The celebration will show that the Boys & Girls Club of Paris is an important part of the community,” he said. “Bently Allen started the club in 1964 — he’s still active in the club. When I lost my father in 1966, Bently was an important, positive role model for me, personally. It was one of the many reasons why the club is great.”

Many former club members, current club members, families, volunteers and other supporters are expected to attend the event, which also will include the appearance of the “New Blue Goose,” a recently restored Chevy Suburban, Brown said. The vehicle has been restored by former club member John Featherston and is “extremely similar” to the club’s original vehicle, he said.

“We think this restored Chevy is a 1952 model; we know it’s before 1954,” said Brown. “They called those vehicles ‘carry-alls’ back then, and we bought the vehicle and have taken it on as a group project with the association.

“We kind of ran out of funds and time to get the restored Blue Goose running, so for the celebration, we’ll have it for display only,” he added. “Hopefully, we’ll get support later to get the car up and running, but for now, it’ll be a great reminder of the first Blue Goose.”

The original Blue Goose was used to transport BGCP baseball teams to various regional tournaments in the early and mid-1960s, said Brown, who himself was a pitcher for the team.

“For an 8-year-old kid, riding in that vehicle to go to baseball games in Fort Smith, Ozark, County Line and other places was a big thrill,” he said. “But there were holes in the back end, so sometimes when we would throw our baseballs and bats in the back, you’d see a ball roll out from the car and onto the ground.”

The car’s horn also gave it “a unique characteristic,” Brown said.

“The horn would intermittently work, and it sounded like an old goose,” he said. “You had to really work the horn to get it to work, so it was funny.”

The upcoming celebration will be the perfect opportunity for ex-club members to revisit fond memories, Brown said.

“We’ll have a 1964½ Mustang for the M&M Poker Run, there will be free swimming, prizes and giveaways, a dunking booth with cheerleaders and a Beatlemania tribute concert,” he said. “This year marks the 50th anniversary of The Beatles and our club, so it’s an exciting time for all of us.”